Background
ACC Accreditation Services provides its customers with access to the Accreditation Conformance Database (ACD). Customers enter patient data which can then be used to make process improvements for their patient's care.
Problem
The ACD error messages were difficult for customers to read and were not visually pleasing. The error messages used in the ACD provided no explantion or steps to take to correct the issues.
Solutions
The size of the error message pop-up was increased along with the text size. This made it easier for the customer to read the information provided in the error message.
A description of the error was added as well as steps that could be taken to correct the issue. Contact information was added to make it easy for the customer to contact the ACC if they continued to have a problem after taking the advised steps.
Final Result
The final design and updated text for the ACD error and saved messages. This design made it easier for the user to read and provided them with information on how to resolve the issue. A link to Customer Care was provided in case the provided steps did not solve their issue.
Research
I started going over old support tickets to find error messages from the ACD that had been submitted by our customers. I added the ticket numbers and images of the error messages into a Word document to reference for later review.
Next, I began researching online examples of best practices and layouts for error messages.
Developing New Copy
I met with our Lead Developer to discuss the errors I found from my research and the steps to take to resolve them. I decided to use a short description of the error followed by a bullet list of steps the user could take to address the issue.
Sketches
I sketched out several ideas to see some examples of different layouts. I had a general idea how I wanted it to look since I was going to use a bullet list for the steps to resolve the issue.
Design Feedback
I met with our Business Line to discuss the sketches I had designed. It was decided to add links to contact our Customer Care in case the provided steps did not address the user's issues.
Copy Feedback
I met once again with our Lead Developer to make sure the brief descriptions and resolution steps I put toghether were correct and matched the errors.
After I confirmed with our Lead Developer the copy I put together was correct for the errors, I met with the Business Line. I wanted to get their feedback that the copy I was using met their needs and that they were ok with the messages.
Wireframes
I put together a few wireframes with copy to see some examples of how the layout would work. I added in links to contact our Customer Care as was discussed with the Business Line.
What Did I Learn
This project I had to work with the Lead Developer and Business Line to get the right message and steps to resolve the issue for our customers. It was a great experience working with both departments to address the issue correctly. It is a good idea to get feedback early and often when iterating so you know you are on the right track.